Qin Yu recollected his senses when King Qin and the Third Prince mentioned Duan Ling Tian's name. He turned to King Qin and the Third Prince and said, "Uncles, what's up with Duan Ling Tian?"
"Oh right!" King Qing turned and looked at Qin Yu suddenly as though he just thought of something then asked, "Qin Yu, you came here from Nine Specters County. Have you heard of or knew Duan Ling Tian while you were there?"
"Of course." Qin Yu nodded. "He's my only friend in Nine Specters County."
Although he only knew Duan Ling Tian at a later stage, he did not have any true friends before that. It was Duan Ling Tian who made him feel like he had a friend in Nine Specters County.
"Furthermore, he saved me before!" Qin Yu added.
"He saved your life before?"
King Qin and the Third Prince frowned a little after hearing what Qin Yu said. They then looked towards each other and saw helplessness and bitterness in each other's eyes. Duan Ling Tian was their nephew's friend and he had saved their nephew's life before, so they should offer him protection. However, if the target of the Compassion Celestial Travellers Sect powerhouse was their nephew's friend who had saved his life before, then they were powerless to do anything even if they wanted to help.
Now, they could only hope that the powerhouse of the Compassion Celestial Traveller Sect's target was not Duan Ling Tian. If it was, then they hoped that Duan Ling Tian would not reveal himself, or else they would be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
"Yup." Qin Yu nodded, and at the same time, he saw the helplessness in the eyes of King Qin and the Third Prince. He could not help but feel worried and ask, "Uncles, what were you saying just now? What happened to Duan Ling Tian?"
Qin Yu felt worried when he heard Duan Ling Tian's name being mentioned. Although he did not hear the conversation between his uncles clearly just now, an uneasy feeling still rose within his gut.
"Qin Yu, this is only our speculation." The Third Prince sighed.
"What speculation?" Qin Yu became even more anxious.
"Well..."
As the Third Prince elaborated on the situation, Qin Yu's face changed several times, each second grimmer than the one before.
"Therefore, Uncle, do you suspect that the Core Elder of the Compassion Celestial Traveler Sect's target is Duan Ling Tian?"
"However, that's just our suspicion," King Qin consoled after noticing Qin Yu's worried expression. He then added, "After all, Duan Ling Tian is the only person who's expected to turn up at the Martial Competition of the Sixteen Counties that isn't present. Of course, we cannot rule out that he's looking for another person."
Apart from the monster prodigy, Duan Ling Tian he could not think of another person in the area under King Qin's Mansion that would warrant the Sect Leader of Compassion Celestial Traveler Sect to issue a kill order personally.
He was also shocked when he first heard of Duan Ling Tian a few months ago because he never would have thought that King Qin's Mansion would have such a cultivator who possessed a power that was almost similar to a Great Overarching Golden Celestial's while still below a hundred years old. Duan Ling Tian was even recognized as the most powerful person under the Great Overarching Golden Celestial in Nine Specters County by the people there!
Even with both the Third Prince and King Qin consoling him, Qin Yu still realized that the Core Elder of the Compassion Celestial Traveler Sect was here for Duan Ling Tian. Although he was unsure why the Sect Leader of the Compassion Celestial Traveler Sect sent a Core Elder here to kill Duan Ling Tian, it did not stop him from worrying for Duan Ling Tian.
'Duan Ling Tian, I hope that you are safe. In addition to that, I hope that you won't appear in the Martial Competition of the Sixteen Counties,' Qin Yu secretly prayed. Before this, he wished that Duan Ling Tian would appear in time, but his mind had changed since.
"Now, we can only hope that Duan Ling Tian won't appear…" The Third Prince sighed.
"Although I value Duan Ling Tian and hope that he can remain in King Qin's Mansion, since he's friends with Qin Yu and the powerhouse from the Compassion Celestial Traveller Sect seems to be here to kill him, I also hope that he won't appear," King Qin added.
Boom!
Boooooooom!
Earthshaking sonic booms echoed across the area outside the curtains and the blows in the combat ring caused it to rock and an earthquake rumbled in the spectators' area.
Now in the void above the combat ring, the trump card of Fair Mountain County, Yang Jin, was in fierce combat with the trump card of the Soaring Wind County, Chu Yan. They were currently neck to neck with each other.
The gazes of King Qin and the Third Prince were led to the void above the combat ring together. Qin Yu was the only one whose head was still lower as he was still praying that Duan Ling Tian would not appear…
Qin Yu cared so much for Duan Ling Tian because the latter was his only friend and he did not want anything bad to happen to him. Apart from that, he could not care less about anything else. It was none of his business who the victor of the battle between Yang Jin and Chu Yan would be or who would get first place in the Martial Competition of the Sixteen Counties.
Although King Qing and the Third Prince hoped that nothing bad would happen to Duan Ling Tian, Duan Ling Tian was merely their nephew's friend after all. There was not much they could do if the powerhouse from the Compassion Celestial Traveller Sect was targeting Duan Ling Tian. However, if the powerhouse from the Compassion Celestial Traveller Sect's target was not Duan Ling Tian, then they trust that the latter would not be in any danger.
Therefore, they quickly shifted their attention away from Duan Ling Tian to the battle that was happening in the void above the combat ring. They were now more interested to find out between Yang Jin and Chu Yan, who would be able to defeat the other party and claim victory to become first in the Martial Competition of the Sixteen Counties.
"I have heard about Yang Jin of the Fair Mountain County before this. Rumor has it that he has rather strong power and is a genius in Fair Mountain County. He lives up to his name, it seems!" the Third Prince exclaimed.
"Chu Yan looks quite good as well…He and his father have been well hidden. Although I'm the head of King Qin's Mansion, I have only heard of Chu Yu, a very capable woman from the Soaring Wind County, but I have never heard about the even more talented Chu Yan in the Soaring Wind County!" King Qin said.
"Elder brother, who do you think will win among them?" the Third Prince asked.
"It is still unclear…However based on the current situation, they are neck to neck with each other, so it will depend on who makes a mistake first. If the other person manages to capitalize on the mistake, then he can potentially end the battle and win!" King Qin said with certainty.
"I concur," the Third Prince nodded while saying.
Beyond the curtain, all of the spectators around the combat ring was focused on the fierce battle between Yang Jin and Chu Yan that was taking place in the void above the combat ring.
"Yang Jin is so powerful. He is well-deserving of his fame!"
"I have heard of Yang Jin in the past, but I wasn't sure how powerful he is…After today, I finally know how formidable he is."
"If it wasn't for the dark horse of this competition, Chu Yan, and Duan Ling Tian being absent, Yang Jin would have cruised to the first place in this Martial Competition of the Sixteen Counties."
"Indeed!. Who would have guessed that the Soaring Wind County would have a trump card such as Chu Yan apart from Chu Yu?"
"Regardless of whether Duan Ling Tian shows up, the Soaring Wind County will occupy two of the top ten spots in this Martial Competition of the Sixteen Counties. Furthermore, both of them are siblings. This will definitely be buzzing all over the Soaring Wind County and King Qin's Mansion!"
"It is really enviable that the County Chief of the Soaring Wind County has such a great pair of children."
A group of spectators was discussing in the audience surrounding the combat ring. Most of them were exclaiming about the dark horse in this competition, Chu Yan, and how lucky the County Chief of the Soaring Wind County was for having such excellent children.
Chu Ting Xuan, the Chief of the Soaring Wind County Chief, was currently sitting beside the spectators' area watching the fierce battle that was taking place in the void above the combat ring. However if one were to take a more detailed look, he would find Chu Ting Xuan's eyes filled with pride.
To have a daughter such as Chu Yu and a son such as Chu Yan, what more could a father want?
In the distinguished guest spectators' area, the deputy Sect Leader of the Flying Dragon Sect, Huang Guang Ji asked the black-robed man nearby, "Revered Elder Tian Ling, who do you think will win this battle?"
The black-robed man was none other than the Revered Elder Tian Ling of the Flying Dragon Sect, a Primitive Celestial Alchemist in a Celestial Master's Robe which had a 'kun' word on it.
This Primitive Celestial Alchemist was also the widely mentioned trump card of Nine Specters County, Duan Ling Tian!
"The both of them are neck to neck…It's hard to tell who will have the last laugh now,"
Duan Ling Tian replied Huang Guang Ji in a hoarse voice.
"I think so too." Huang Guang Ji nodded and added, "I feel that it must take one of them being distracted to decide the winner…I don't dare name a winner for now."
"However…"
Duan Ling Tian continued as Huang Guang Ji finished his sentence, "I feel that Chu Yan has a better chance of winning."
"Chu Yan? The son of the Soaring Wind County Chief?"
Huang Guang Ji was surprised by what he had just heard. He then asked, "Why do you say so, Revered Elder Tian Ling? Based on the current situation, it's still hard to tell who has the advantage."
"This is solely based on my personal judgment. The final outcome may not be as I've predicted," Duan Ling Tian raised his eyebrows under the black robe and calmly said.